


The world we survive in...

by Blozani



Category: zombie - Fandom
Genre: Absent Parents, Abusive Parents, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Body Modification, Crazy, Going insane, Gore, Hatred, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mutation, Protective Siblings, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Zombie, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, insane, zombie turning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:08:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26018536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blozani/pseuds/Blozani
Summary: Emmalyn was young when she first witnessed the beginning of the undead taking over. She witnessed first hand how the people she was close with has changed, including herself. After finding sanctuary her parents hid inside a room where they did secret experiments that only they knew about... until they emerged showing signs that they were becoming part of the undead. After attacking their daughter, they were killed by the other residents of the sanctuary. However, it was too late. Emmalyn has already been infected, and worse is that the inhabitants thought she was in league with her parents to turn everyone into the undead. As a result she was kicked out of the sanctuary as well as her two younger siblings. Struggling to control her transformation and finding a safe place for her siblings she finds that she can only depend on her siblings and herself to find their way through the world they live in to find another sanctuary.
Relationships: siblings - Relationship, strained relationship with parents - Relationship





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!  
> I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
> Please let me know what you think! And maybe I will incorporate some of the ideas you guys pitch in!

Chapter 1:

I thrash around trying to escape the guard’s tough grasps on my arms. 

“Kick me out! But please let them stay!” I cry out as I’m being shoved outside the safe zone. I look to my sides and I see my younger siblings being dragged by their wrists. Their tear-stricken faces looking at me in fear and confusion. I try to fight back but it’s useless as the large steel door opens, revealing the abandoned city the zombies took over, thankfully it looks empty at the moment. I feel the guards shoving me out the door and finally push me out. I feel two bodies land next to me on both sides. 

“Ooof!” I look up and to them. My siblings were thrown as well. I look back and I see the crowd starting to close the door. 

“NO!” I shout and I quickly stand up to hold the door open. But I am too late as the door slams shut. I pound on the door. 

“Please! Please, let them stay!” I’m met with silence. I continue to bang on the door, not even leaving dents. 

“Please! They haven’t been infected!” I am starting to get frustrated. I shout and I start banging on the door harder, not caring that I am bleeding from an unknown gash on my hand.

“Let. them. In!” I realize my voice is starting to sound different but I don’t care, my siblings need protection. They can’t survive out here! Right when I was going to hit the door harder I feel burning in my stomach and then blood shoots out of my mouth. I vomit out the blood and I fall to my knees. 

“Emmy!” I hear my siblings yell out. I hear footsteps coming towards me, I hold out a hand to signal to stay away. I vomit out more blood and I fall to my side gasping for air. I grip my shirt close to my chest to ground myself. After a few minutes, I am finally able to breathe and I slowly get up. I take a few deep breaths as I steady myself on my feet. Damn it, the transformation. I look up at the door, and I groan in frustration. 

“Fine! We didn’t need your help anyways!” I kick the door. And I turn away from it. 

“Assholes…” I mumble under my breath. Suddenly I feel little arms wrap around my legs. I look down and I see my siblings hugging me while burying their faces in my legs. I sigh and I crouch down.

“Hey, guys. Everything is going to be okay! I’m okay, see!” I do a funny face to try to cheer them up but they don’t even look at me. I bring my hand up to touch my mouth and I feel wetness. I look at my finger and I see red liquid… blood. Oh… that must be why they are crying. 

“O-oh this? I just drank too much… juice! I’m fine!” The older sibling takes a peek at me and sniffles. I pat his head and smile. He looks down and hugs me again. I pat their backs. What am I going to do now… how can I keep them safe, when the one safe place we know won’t help us anymore. I sigh and I stand up. I grab their hands and I walk forward for them to follow me. I look ahead of me and I see the crumbling city. But do I really want to take them to a zombie infested city? I look back and see that the door is still closed. Well… it's a better shelter than nothing… right? After about 20 minutes of walking/trudging, we are on the border of the city. I look around to make sure there's no undead zombies roaming around. I continue to cautiously look around while leading the kids. 

“Stay close to me, and try to keep quiet okay?” I look down and they nod at me. We walk until we reach the suburban side of the city. I look at the houses and the blood that coats nearly every single one of their unkempt lawns. This could be a safe place, for tonight. What if there’s undeads in there? Am I really willing to eliminate them right here and now? I mean… I’ve done it before, but not in front of the little ones… and considering I’m turning into one… I take a deep breath and I sigh. It’s a chance i’m willing to take for them, what’s the worst that could happen? Get bit? Ha! I look at my shoulders where I see two large bite wounds becoming more infected. How did it get this bad... I put on a smile and I crouch down.

“So… uh... which house do you guys want?” I awkwardly ask. They cling harder to me while looking around. 

“A-are the… dead people inside?” The older Noah asks. I look at the abandoned houses. They look too deserted to have anything in them. 

“No, I don’t think so. But I can fight them off just like a superhero!” I do a superhero pose and that gets them to chuckle. I smile. 

“Hmmm, how about that blue house!” I look over and I see the house the younger Mia states, a bit too loudly for my preference. It looks a little more well kept then the other houses… I squint in hesitation. 

“Hm, I don’t know about that one kiddo.” She pouts her face. I inwardly groan as I know this means she’s about to cry, and I don’t want to push our luck with the undead. I sigh in defeat.

“Okay, we’ll go to that one.” Immediately her little face turns brighter. I stand up and lead the kids to the house. I cautiously open the front door and peek inside. I see the coast is clear. However, I can’t be so sure. I look at the kids. 

“Hey guys, we are going to play a game okay?” Mia smiles widely while Liam looks at me in hesitation. I don’t drop my smile. 

“You guys are going to hide here.” I place them in the unkempt bushes. 

“You guys are going to sing ABC’s three times okay? But, in your minds!” I poke their foreheads softly. 

“And I'll be back before you finish okay?” They both nod and I tell them to close their eyes. Once the “game” has started I sneak inside. I look around and I see the furniture has been turned over to provide a bit of a barrier against the windows and the door. I remember when my parents did this to “protect” us. My mind flashes back to when my parents were flipping furniture not to keep us out, but to keep us in. They were bitten and they decided to make sure we all were bitten to stay together… to be the “perfect” family. I scoff at the memory. I unconsciously put my hand over my bite wounds. Damn them. I can’t even blame the virus for it, they had been planning this for years it had seemed. I guess the virus just brings out the real monsters inside of us. I blink those thoughts away while I continue to scour the house. I see that the kitchen is actually well stocked with food. I check a box of macaroni and I see it has yet to expire. Food… check, at least… for them. I put the box back and I turn to the stairs. First floor seems to be all clear, now it is time for the second floor. I tip toe up the stairs just in case someone was upstairs. The second floor looks much cleaner and that worries me. I start with the rooms on my right. The bedroom. The bathrooms. The spare room. All clear. In fact it looks tidy… something’s not right. I look ahead to the rooms on the left side of the stairway and I cautiously approach them. Closet. Another bathroom. And a study room. One door left. There has to be someone in there… I have to be careful. I go back to the closet and I pick up the broom. ...at least it’s something. I carefully open the door just to check if there is someone waiting, and when I don’t see anybody, I throw the door open. I look around and my eyes land on the floor where a man’s body is at. I drop the broom in surprise, and turn around so I don’t puke. So… I guess there was somebody in here… I just expected them to be alive. I turn around to see the body and I see he shot himself in the forehead. I gagged. I look around and I see a sheet of bloody paper in his hand. I snatched it and I read it.

“Whoever reads this, i’m sorry you have to see me this way, but I just couldn’t take much more of this crazy world we live in. I tried, trust me I really tried... but I can't live with the guilt of knowing I killed my family to protect myself. I tried living a normal life but those damned things kept coming. They came for my dear wife first, then my sweet little girl, then my brave little boy, but they didn't come for me... I tried to pretend everything was okay but it's not! Nothing in this world is okay anymore! There is enough food and water to last a few years for a single person. There are guns on the shelf above my bed, all loaded and with extra bullets on the side. Please do the right thing and try to survive! Don’t worry about me, I am finally reunited with my family. I just hope you get to see the end of this disaster of a life we live in and live a better life than I could’ve. Please, may God have mercy on your soul.” 

...I’m sorry mister. I crumble up the letter and drop it. I’m afraid I won’t have much time to survive. I turn towards his bed and I see the different types of guns he stated were above on the shelf. I grab them and the bullets and put them on the blanket on his bed to use as a bag. I grab the blanket and I rush out of the room. I put the guns in the doorway and I went back to raid whatever he had left. Once I finish I begin to close the door. However, I noticed a smell that made me stop in my tracks. I re-opened the door to look at the body and this time instead of gagging, my mouth started watering. My eyes went to the bloody parts of his head that were blasted open with the gun he had used, and I imagined myself digging my fingers through the holes and bringing out chunks of raw bloody meat. I also imagine eating that savory grinded meat, and going back for seconds, thirds, more until there is no more left. Then I’ll get another person and another! I instinctively take a step forward when a voice calls out.

“Emmy?” I snap back to reality and I look behind me where I see the kids are trying to look inside. 

“Didn’t I tell you guys to stay outside?!” I nearly yell in surprise. They looked ashamed.

“Yeah… but we were done with the game.” Liam whispers embarrassingly. 

“And I’m hungry!” Mia shouts. My eyes dart back to the room and then back at them. 

“O-okay, let’s get you guys something to eat… it’s... safe here.” I close the door and I break the handle to make sure this room is never opened again.


	2. Chapter 2

After I washed up and put on clean, non-bloody, clothes. I made the kids the mac and cheese I had seen earlier and they were happy. I decided to give the kids the master bedroom as the bed was big enough for the two of them. I had to light up some candles to provide some light as there is no electricity… obviously. As the kids were tucked in and falling asleep I was sitting on an armchair next to the bed, stroking their heads to lull them asleep.  
“Hey Emmy?” I turn and look at the kids. Mia is already fast asleep but Liam looks at me with tired eyes. 

“Hm?” 

“How are you feeling?” I put on a small smile.

“Uh… I’m good kiddo, why is something wrong?” 

“Why did you throw up blood, today?” Now I blink in surprise. 

“That wasn’t blood buddy… I told you I drank too much juice.” Liam looks at me for a moment before sighing.

“Well… It smelled like blood.” He says before closing his eyes and going to sleep. I sigh, I have to tell him eventually, he’s old enough to know. I stay looking at them for a few minutes to make sure they are asleep before heading to the guest room. I close the door and I lean against it. I sigh and slide down the door bringing my knees to my face and letting silent tears fall. Damn my parents, damn this virus, damn the survivors, damn it all! I clench a fist and I punch the carpeted floor. However, I was not expecting the floor to crack. I look at my hand and I softly punch myself on my forehead. Damn me! What have I done to deserve this? What have my innocent siblings done to deserve this?! They deserve to have a chance of surviving safely in a shielded city. I will make sure they will stay safe no matter what, even if it means having to kill. I won’t be like my parents! I won’t turn them just for my selfishness! I growled out in frustration and I realized I growled… this virus is progressing faster isn’t it? I rest my head on my knees and I continue to let the tears fall. I will protect those kids no matter what. I stand up and head downstairs to try to clear my mind. I open the door and I look outside just to see if there aren't any undead walking around. Luckily there isn’t so I go outside and I sit on the porch. I look up to the sky and I see the stars and the moon shining down. I close my eyes and I remember a life before the virus, sure I was young when it first started but I was old enough to remember life before. I remember being in the playground laughing as my friends were chasing me and I was chasing a few others. We smiled, played, and had no worries about life. My parents were happy, we played and I would sit on my dad’s shoulders while mom chased us. Until the day we were told to evacuate. I remember buildings were on fire, people throwing things at each other, fights in the streets, pure chaos. My dad helped my mom into the car as she was pregnant with Liam, while punching another guy to the ground when he tried to steal our car. I thought everything would be fine until I looked out the window and I saw people ripping other people’s flesh from their bodies. I closed my eyes as a swarm of them went towards a woman I was looking at. She caught me looking and she yelled something that I didn’t catch, before being surrounded by the undead. I remember my parents telling me to close my eyes and do my ABC’s over and over again until they told me to stop. Which wasn’t until a few hours later when we reached the sanctuary. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t see what my parents saw, but something changed them. They locked themselves in their new study room as they researched the undead. I thought things would change when the baby was born but… I was wrong. If anything they basically tossed Liam to me and they locked themselves in the study for even longer periods of time. I raised Liam, and he grew attached to me over the years. It came as a surprise when mom became pregnant with Mia and I still had a sliver of hope that they would turn this path around and try to be a family like how it was before. How I wished my siblings would have grown up in a world like I had long before this virus took place. I had planned to try to make their childhood at least some form of fun. But… plans don't always go according to plan. A few months ago I was teaching the kids the alphabet outside, after I came back from a scavenger mission. I remember my mom and dad sneaking out of the sanctuary. They saw me and told me to keep quiet. ...I wish I would've said something sooner, if I had known what they were planning. They were gone for five days, and when they came back, they… weren’t my parents anymore. They came back disheveled and hysterical, with a crate. They told me there was nothing wrong and like an idiot I believed them. After all, If I kept out of their way, they would keep out of mine. They began moving furniture around, saying that it had no value anymore. I didn’t know that they were blocking all exits, not very good per se, which is why I didn’t suspect anything sooner. It wasn’t until two days ago when my parents, who were on the verge of turning, were trying to bite Liam. They looked like the most monstrous mutation I have ever seen. Their bodies were merged together, they both had spikes all over their bodies and towered over us by eight or nine feet. I yelled loudly to get them to let go to come attack me. I tried holding them off as I told Liam to get help, but… that’s when they both bit me, one on each shoulder. The pain from the bite was the worst pain I have ever felt, it felt as though acid was being poured onto my shoulder’s with rubbing alcohol. They kept saying how we were gonna be the perfect family, the most powerful family, while scratching me to make sure I had caught the virus. That’s when Liam came in with a mob and they shot my parents dead right there and then. I fell to the floor and I remember my body started shivering, trying to fight off the virus. My siblings and I were extracted from the room to a contained center, where they determined I had indeed been infected. They looked inside the study room that parents had kept well hidden and they found an undead in there, which I assume they snuck in with the crate. They saw the plans and they thought I was affiliated with them, hence we got kicked out. I blink back to reality and I continue to look at the stars and the moon. They had no right to determine that is what we needed. They had no right to claim that we were the perfect family. That idea died off a long time ago. I look down at my hands and I see my veins are beginning to show, and my nails look like they are growing a bit. Typical zombie characteristics. If it’s not the bite, it’s the scratch. I just hope my nails don’t become claws like I have seen on some mutations. I clench my hands in frustration and I feel my nails dig into my palms. I become irritated at this life my parents forced upon me, I become irritated that we were shunned out for something they did to us. I grab my nails and I begin ripping them off my nail beds one by one. I clench my teeth and try not to scream from the pain of ripping the nails off. I don’t care if it hurts! I don’t care about anything! I don’t care about them! Fuck them! I finish the final nail and I see blood dripping down my fingers. I pant from the adrenaline and I flex my fingers. I’ll fight this off, I won’t let them think they won something over me, I’ll fight this off for as long as I can. Not to prove anything to them, but to protect my siblings. I feel the familiar heat rising from my stomach and I vomit blood out again, this time I collapse to the ground and I start convulsing. I feel blood streaming out from my mouth and a little bit from my nose. I won’t turn, not like this! I swear I’ll protect them with everything I have!

“Emmy!” I try to look at the direction of the voice but my eyes roll to the back of my head. No! This is not how I go! I will protect them! I will… My thoughts start to fade as I black out.


	3. Chapter 3

I slowly open my eyes. I hear a wheezing sound and I realize it’s coming from me. My body quickly turns to the side and I cough out some blood. Ugh, I feel like I am being burned from the inside out. I lay back down and I place an arm over my face.  
“Emmy?” I take a peek and I see Liam is holding a cup of water for me. I take the cup and I begin to drink it… it.. tastes… weird. I finish the water and I put the cup down.

“Thanks kiddo.” I look around. I am in the spare bedroom… wait… how did I get here? I bring a hand to my face when I feel something rough. I look and I see my fingers are covered in blood and… the nails grew back. I groan. 

“H-how are you feeling?” I turn my head towards Liam and I smile.

“I’m doing okay kiddo. I uh- just had a bit of an accident.” I cringe as I hear my voice sounding a bit more raspy, but I try not to make it obvious. Liam looks down as he fidgets with his fingers, a trait he developed when he was younger whenever he wanted to say something. 

“Something on your mind kid?” He fumbles a bit before looking at me with sad eyes.

“How long… before you become like mom and dad.” I blink at his question. Hm, I really underestimate his understanding of this world. 

“What do you mean?” I look at him and I smile. I feel dried blood flaking off my face as the skin pulls. 

“I saw when they bit you… and I saw when they brought home the zombie… to bite them. And you look different...” He has tears forming in his eyes. 

“T-they wanted to bite me, you s-stopped them! I couldn't stop them from b-biting you! A-and now it’s my fault you are becoming like them!” He becomes more and more hysterical with each sentence. I feel pain welt up in my heart. 

“I-it’s my fault that you are dying!” I should've done something! I should’ve-” I cut him off as I pull him in for a tight hug. Tears are dripping down my face, and he is crying his little heart out. I try not to growl at the thought of my parents doing this to us. They not only caused me to begin to lose my humanity, they caused my siblings to lose the only family they know. I stroke my little brother’s head to try to calm him (and myself down). These poor kids are too young to be experiencing this. Hell, they aren’t even older than ten!

“It’s not your fault buddy, not at all!” He doesn’t seem to hear me as he is still crying hysterically. 

“Look at me kid.” I pull away so I can face him. I look at him and he is still sniffling. 

“This isn’t your fault, in fact, you saved me!” He looks at me confused.

“I d-don’t understand!” He yells as he’s trying to wipe tears away. I cup his cheek to get him to look at me. I glance at my hand for a second and I see my skin looks pale.

“You saved me kiddo, if it wasn’t for you calling for help, I might’ve been killed.” He sniffles and calms down enough to look at me. 

“I-I did?” I smile and nod.

“Yes you did kiddo, this wasn’t your fault but you saved me from the problem getting worse.” He calms down enough to continue fidgeting with his fingers. I grab his hands and I bring them to his chest.

“Your love saved me kiddo. I know one day I will have to leave you, but I promise I will protect you and Mia until then okay?” He nods. I cup his cheeks with my hands.

“Oh, you’re such a big boy!” I gush to him, and he giggles.

“Well, I’m 9! Of course I’m a big boy!” I chuckle as I look around the room.

“Good, now tell me… how did I get here?” Liam chuckles.

“I brought you here, silly!” I look at him confused.

“When I found you two nights ago, you-” He stops when I gasp in surprise. 

“Two nights?! Kiddo are you sure?” He counts his fingers and he nods.

“Yeah! You were shaking, and when you were done, you sat up. I took your hand and I brought you to the room.” I look at him with wide eyes. I don’t remember this! Is the virus starting to take over my consciousness? No that can't be it… can it? I’ll do some research later. For now, I look at the clock and it is 8:39am. I hear Liam’s stomach growl but it is low enough that he is not able to feel or hear it. Damn it…my senses are starting to become heightened. I shiver for a moment before I smile at Liam.

“Why don’t you go rest for a bit, while I get cleaned up and make a big breakfast for you guys! You deserve it!” As if on cue Liam yawns, and nods his head. Poor thing, he must've stayed up watching me. He trudges out of the room and once I hear the door close I go to the conjoined restroom. I remove my clothes as I wait for the water to finish boiling. The man that lived here rigged the bathrooms to provide running warm water. However, I don’t know how long this setup will last so I take full advantage of it. I step in the makeshift shower and I wash thoroughly to make sure there is no blood on me. I don’t need the kids to see me in that state more than they need to. Once the blood stops mixing with the water I step out and wrap a towel around me. I step out to the bedroom where I go to the closet and see what clothes the guy left behind. Surprisingly all the clothes are separated from men's to women's clothes. I reach out to the women’s clothes and I see a note, probably from the man.  
These were my wife’s clothes, she always did have the best taste in fashion. Take care of the clothes… please.  
Hmph. That's going to be a bit of a problem old man. I grab the men’s clothes which consist of basketball shorts and a tank top. I guess there was a reason he valued his wife’s clothes… it might've been the last thing she left behind. If he really wanted me to take care of them, then I won’t be wearing it. I grabbed the woman’s underwear which luckily there were some packaged new ones. Once I grab the clothes, I go to put them down on the mini table and I remove the towel. I look ahead of me at the mirror and I gasp at the extremities of my body. There’s blue/black veins spread sporadically all over my body, and chunks of my flesh are literally rotting off of me. My body also seems to have gotten taller and a bit wider… the mutation. Not only does the virus turn us into zombies but it mutates our bodies as well. There have been no same looking zombies I have seen. Some tougher than others. Now… I wonder how the mutation will change me… I cringe at what my body is becoming. Is this what two days can do to an infected body? How long until this completely takes over? How the hell did they manage to stay sane while going through this… oh wait… they didn’t. I look at my face and I put a hand to it. My eyes… they are not the dark green color as they should be… my eyes are red… and surrounding the sunken sockets are faint transparent blue veins. I… this is happening too soon! This isn’t even my body anymore! My body is literally falling apart and changing in front of my eyes and there is NOTHING I can do about it! I look at my full reflection where I don’t see a human anymore but a zombie in denial. A corpse! A fucking monstosity! I feel a wave of anger flash through my body and without thinking I yell and I bring my fist to the mirror causing it to shatter my reflection. I take a few wheezing deep breaths to calm myself down. This… isn’t my life anymore… has it ever been my life? I fall to my knees and I grasp my wrist of the hand I used to punch the mirror. I see it is embedded with shards of the mirror. ...It… It doesn't hurt… Why doesn’t it hurt?! I grab one of the larger shards that is in my hand and I drag it along my hand. I close my eyes as I expect it to hurt. ...I know I am dragging the shard but why don’t I feel anything?! I open my eyes where I see I made a large gash on my wrist, but with no blood. Huh? I grab another shard and I do the same thing this time I dig the shard in deeper. 

“Come on…” I whisper aggressively. The same thing happens… nothing. I growl in frustration. I’m not a corpse yet, so bleed damn it!  
Ah yes, this is beautiful. My eyes go wide when I hear the female voice. I look up and I see nothing.  
My dear, this is the most exquisite experiment we have ever thought of. I stand up and I jump to face behind me.  
“Who’s there?” I ask, gritting my teeth in anxiousness. I hear the man and woman laughing.  
Oh! She has your feistiness! She is the most perfect little experiment. I growl as I look around me trying to find the voices. 

“Stop laughing and show yourselves!” I feel fear running through my body, but at the same time it feels more like hostility. My eyes dart all over the room trying to find the voices. Which to my surprise there’s nothing. 

She is coming along nicely, my dear. Soon she will have no choice but to turn the kids if she doesn’t want to kill them. The voice states too sweetly. 

“Who are you?!” I continue looking around while snarling. 

Aw, I thought that if we left her a nice present, she will always remember us. What the hell are they talking about? The laughter fades to the restroom and I rush in trying to find them. I see nothing, but I walk inside to look. 

I can’t wait to see how our beautiful little experiment will decide her sibling’s fate… They laugh and I turn to my side where I see my reflection in the foggy mirror. I cautiously tiptoe to the mirror and I look closely. All of a sudden I'm not alone in the reflection, my mutated parents are embracing each other while looking at me, lovingly. I scream and I look behind me to see them. ... nothing. I look back at the mirror expecting to see their reflections but it’s gone… I look down and try controlling my breathing. What the fuck was that?! I bring a hand to my head and I fall to my knees. I… I don’t know what to make of this anymore… I look down at my hand with the shards and I see that my hand is bleeding, but not in the way I wanted. Clotted black blood is oozing from the gashes. Fuck… this… this is really happening isn’t it? I’m really turning into a zombie… 

“Emmy?” I look at the bedroom door through the open bathroom door, where I see the door is starting to open.

“D-don’t open the door!” The door stops moving. 

“Emmy, are you okay? I heard you scream.” I look at my hand and then back at the door.

“Y-yeah! I just had a little… fall. I’ll make you guys breakfast right now.” Liam doesn’t move for a moment and in my mind I repeat for him not to open the door. A few seconds later the door shuts close and footsteps recede. ...How am I going to protect them if I can’t protect myself… I wrapped my hand and arm with some bandages I found in the restroom and I put on some sunglasses I found in the bedroom drawer, to hide my eyes. With that, I step out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

After the kids have had their breakfast, I tell them to go take a nap while I prepare for us to leave. We should keep moving… staying in one place for too long is not a good idea. I pack the weapons in one backpack while I stuff the food in another. I groan as I try to stuff another bag of powdered milk into the already full backpack. “Come on…” I beg the backpack to open up more. Suddenly, I feel the bag of milk rip and powder lands all over the backpack and the floor. I growl in frustration… I have to really stop growling…

“Emmy?” I turn back where I see Liam is standing in the middle of the door frame. I quickly hide my frustration and I put on a smile.

“Yeah? What’s up kiddo?” I look down at the spilled powder on the backpack. Ugh I have to clean that before it starts to smell… does powdered milk even smell? I look back at Liam and he walks closer.

“I can help if you want?” I look at the many more boxes of food still in the pantry. I don’t think we can carry anymore things.

“Uh… that’s okay kiddo, I think we are all packed up.” Liam fiddles with his fingers.

“Why do we have to leave? Why can’t we just stay here?” I zip up the backpack and sigh.

“We just can’t stay in one place for too long, we need to find you and Mia a safe place to stay.”

“What about you?” I feel a pit form in my stomach. I know I will have to leave them to protect them in a few days… maybe even less. However, I will find them a safe place first.

“I’ll be… with you guys of course!” I put on my best fake smile as I drag the backpacks from the kitchen to the front door. I think that’s about as prepared as we are gonna get. I try to walk past Liam to do a last sweep of the place. Liam grabs my hand, stopping me.

“Emmy?” I look down and smile.

“Yes?” He has a questionable look on his face for a moment before trying to look confident.

“We can be zombies too!” My smile immediately vanishes from my face and is replaced by a confused face.

“W-What do you mean?” I really hope he’s not trying to tell me something that is in the back of my mind.

“Mom and dad turned into zombies together… why don’t we turn into zombies too! We can stay together-” I hold up my hand to stop him.

“Where did this idea come from?” I slowly and seriously ask him, while crossing my arms.

“I… I got it from a dream… where me, you and Mia are together as zombies.” I shake my head.

“No.” My response barely comes out as a whisper. I try to stand up but Liam tightens his grip on my hand.

“Please… we can stay together! I know you are going to leave us! I don’t want you to go! I want to stay with you! Please Emmy don’t leave us alone!” Tears threaten to shed from Liam’s eyes but I keep my own emotions in check.

“I’m sorry Liam, but my final answer is no.” Liam starts sobbing and he clings to my hand.

“Emmy please! I-I promise I’ll be good! I don’t want you to go!” Now I feel my own tears start to build up in my eyes. With a shaky breath I answer.

“Liam… you don’t want to go through, what I am going through… it hurts… really bad.” Physically and emotionally I don’t state out loud. Liam brings my arm to his face and clings harder.

“Emmy! Please!” I open my mouth to say something but I hear the voices again.

 _Oh honey look! Our son wants to join his big sister! That’s so sweet!_ I gasp and look around to find where they are. Not now, not now! They chuckle.

_So dear, does your hypothesis look like it’s going to come true?_

_Hmm, well she won’t be able to resist for much longer dear so there is still a chance it can go either way!_

_My dear, you are the smartest person I know…_ The voices fade away and it’s taking all the energy I have not to seethe in anger. Just leave me alone dammit! Liam is now shaking my arm, nearly having a meltdown.

“I promise I won’t complain about it! I’ll be good! Really good! Please Emmy!” I feel my emotions threatening to show but before I can unleash anything, I feel the burning sensation in my stomach again… no no no not now! I cover my mouth and rush to the kitchen where I choke up bloody vomit into the sink. I am shivering as I am puking. Why does this happen? What does this mean? I just about finish my moment before I start wheezing. I turn my head and I see Liam looking at me with a shocked expression. I try to wipe my mouth on my sleeve but there is too much that I just smeared it.

“Liam…” I start getting all of his attention.

“I love you and Mia with everything I have…” I take a shaky wheeze in.

“But I am willing to give up my life to keep you guys safe… even if it’s not with me.” I fall to my knees while gripping the sink and Liam runs towards me. I look at him and I smile weakly. I cup his cheek and I whisper.

“This isn’t the life for you… you are going to live a long healthy life and start a family while being safe.” I wheeze again.

“Being a zombie… is not for you… as long as I can help it… I will keep you and Mia safe…” Liam sheds more tears and I wipe them off, dirtying him with some of my blood by accident.

“Shhhh… don’t cry kiddo… I’m not leaving you guys just yet…” I stand up and hold Liam’s hands.

“It’ll be okay, I promise you.” I kiss his hands and he gives me a hug, before running up the stairs. I sigh. I look at my unharmed arm and I notice my arm is paler and longer… I look ahead at nothing in particular while thinking to myself. I have to find them somewhere safe fast… before I become the reason they’re not safe.


	5. Chapter 5

“Emmy… I’m tired!” Mia whines while slowing down her walking pace. I try to slow down to accommodate her speed. 

“I know Mimi, but we are almost there!” I try to sound convincing even though I don’t even know where we are going. We left the city nearly an hour ago and now we have been walking through a dusty area with no signs of life anywhere. Except for small dead bushes, cactus' and rocks… lots and lots of rocks. I look around us and I don’t see shelter within eye distance… this is going to be a problem. I look back at Mia where she stopped walking and is now sitting down. I crouch down and I look at her.

“Hey, want me to give you a piggyback ride?” Mia suddenly has the energy to jump while squealing.   
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” I quickly shush her, in case of any mutations lurking nearby. I pick her up and she settles in between the backpack of weapons and my back. I turn to my other side and I see Liam sweating and looking ahead. 

“How about you kiddo, do you want to sit on my shoulder?” He gives me a questioning look before pointing.

“B-but your bites…” I had put cotton pads on the bite wounds to not give away that I had been bitten… not that the other characteristics won’t do that anyways.. 

“It’s okay kiddo, they don’t hurt.” I give him a convincing smile and he accepts it. 

“Okay, just tell me if it’s hurting you.” I nod and I pick him up to put on my shoulder. In all honesty, my shoulders are the worst of my pain but I rather be in pain and keep moving then die by the hand of mutations waiting for us to stop. He sits on my shoulder and I wince. Liam doesn't seem to notice and wraps one arm around my neck, while holding on to the backpack strap with the other hand. 

“Did… did you get taller?” 

“Why do you ask?” 

“It looks higher.” I look around and it does seem like I grew a bit more. 

“No, you are just growing!” I poke at his stomach and he giggles. I don’t need them to worry about me. 

“Are we all ready?” I ask. 

“Yea!” Mia shouts into my ear. Liam nods with a smile. That’s what I like to see.

“Emmy, let's sing the alphabet song!” I chuckle while taking off at a jog. 

“Why don’t you guys sing it for me… I seem to have forgot it!” That’s how we traveled for the next two hours with the kids singing some songs and eventually Mia falling asleep, while Liam was still holding on so he won’t fall. Even though I am basically carrying the food, weapons, and the kids, I don’t feel tired at all. I know I’m a fit person, but not this fit. I slow my pace down and I look at my right arm, still covered in the bandages… the wounds should actually be healed by now. I clench my hand into a fist and I bring my arm back down. 

“Emmy?” 

“Hm?” 

“How do you feel?” I look up at Liam as he is looking ahead. I look back ahead and there is still nothing. I sigh.

“I’m… okay. I'm just trying to find a place for us to stay in.” I continue jogging until I feel something rumble. I stop. Looking around I don’t see anything, but the rumble continues. 

“Em-?” I hold a hand up, while still looking around. The rumbling stops. ...Something is not right. On instinct I quickly jump to the side and I stare at the floor. It cracks and shakes. I land and I look at the ground which is starting to open up. I catch a glimpse of something before I jump to another place. I look at where I was just at and in my place is a giant blade connected to something. God damnit, it's a mutation! The blade is pulled out and gets swung at us again. 

“Emmy! What is that!” I grit my teeth as I jump but the blade got a little bit of my arm. 

“A mutation…” I quickly run away from the monster and I try avoiding the blade. Mia wakes up gasping in confusion. 

“A-are we there yet?” I try to steady my voice.

“Not yet... “ I sprint towards the nearest hiding place. I guess the thing was thinking the same way because the blade came crashing down on the boulder I was planning on going behind.

“Shit!” I quickly stop and I look around. There has to be another place to hide. I was trying not to panic. Of course I fought mutations before, but not alone! Or with kids! What am I going to do?!

“It’s coming!” Liam shouts. I turn around and sure enough it’s coming at us at full speed. Without thinking I put my hands in front and I clamp down on the blade. I closed my eyes while the blade landed in my hands with a loud squish then grinding sound...Holy shit! What am I doing?! How am I doing this?! I look in front of me and I am holding the blade with my hands trying to push it back. I grunt as it tries to push its way through my hands.

“Emmalyn!” I think it was Liam that shouted, but I wasn't focusing on that, I was focusing on not letting the damned blade get through. The blade is already cutting my palms but I don’t feel pain from it. At least that’s a plus. I feel my feet start to get dragged by the creature pusing me. I dig my nails in the fleshy part of the blade.

“Ugh! I- I can’t hold it back for long!” I barely get out. I feel a crack in my hands… that’s not a good sign! I can’t hold it for much longer. I tilt my head to look at the kids and I see them covering their eyes in fear. I… I have to protect them! I look around and I see another boulder behind us. 

“K-kids… I need you guys to get off… a-and run… to that rock!” I dig my nails deeper as I feel the blade digging deeper in my palm. 

“What about you?!” Liam shouts. I growl and I shout.

“Liam, listen to me! Go now!” 

“Bu-” I turn to face him.

“NOW!” I hear my voice sound different for a moment but that’s not what I am worried about at the moment. Liam quickly climbs off of my shoulder and he takes Mia. I hear them running the other way and I quickly let go of the blade while dropping to the floor. I see the blade goes a few inches in front of my face. I quickly roll to my side, step up and then run like hell! I try to find where the kids are but I don’t see them. They ran behind the place I told them right? I feel the wind shift and the blade slices a bit of my arm.

“Agh!” I grunt out in pain but I continue running. I see the kids crouching behind the rock and I run to them, while shouting. 

“Run! Run! Run!” They look at me and linger for a moment before taking off. I see the blade going towards them and suddenly everything is like slow mo. I see the blade catching up to them and Mia stumbles and trips.

“Mia!” Something snaps within me and I don’t even think anymore, I run to the tentacle and make my way to the fleshy part of the blade and I dig my nails in it so deep that I feel I went through the flesh entirely. I throw my hands in opposite directions shredding some of the mutation’s connection to the blade off. I go to do it again when suddenly a loud ringing makes me cover my ears and I trip, rolling off the tentacle and onto the floor hitting the ground before eventually sliding to a stop. Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! I repeat over and over, and I don’t even know If I am saying it out loud or in my head. The ringing gets louder and I curl up into a fetal position. Make it stop! I begin to convulse uncontrollably while gripping my head. W-what’s happening?! What is this?! Please! Stop! I force my eyes open and I see the tentacle is also convulsing and twitching. I can’t hold my eyes open any more as I squeeze them shut from the pain. This is unbearable! Please! Instinctively, I start slamming my head on the hard dirt ground to try to stop the ringing. Out of nowhere a blast happens behind me knocking me to the ground. The ringing has stopped but the pain is still there. Covering my ears and shaking is the only thing my body knows what to do at the moment. I can’t move. I can’t think. Just pain. Horrible, white blinding pain.

“Emmy!” I hear two voices shout from a distance. I don’t react, not that I can anyways. I stay staring off into the distance, covering my ears, shaking, and softly hitting my head on the floor. A small voice in my mind is still saying to make it stop repeatedly. I feel the ground shaking, but not from the monster. I can’t focus enough to know where the sound is. The pain… the pain… it’s too much. I hear grunting and shuffling.

“E-Emmy!” Mia shouts.

“Leave her alone!” Liam struggles to say. My vision gets fuzzy and everything starts going dark, but I see a pair of combat shoes walk in front of me and the person crouches down, but before I see who it is, I pass out.


	6. Chapter 6

… darkness… Most people describe darkness as being part of the unknown. Others describe it as a part of you, you don’t want to show… but we all have experienced darkness in our own ways. I for one, am surrounded by it, nothing around me but absolute nothingness. A void. To some this might be relaxing, for me this is hell. I need to be free… I WANT to be free. But there is nothing I can do to have that feeling… _We have given you the solution… you just need to take it_ … a voice echoes through the darkness. _Hello…_ I hear my own voice ring out. _Who are you… where are you… where am I…_ Another deeper voice chuckles. _Oh my sweet girl… you have fought bravely… but it’s time to let go and be… free._ Free… what does free even mean? How can I be free? I feel something wrap around my shoulders, I shudder but I don’t try to take it off. Suddenly the voice is whispering in my ear. _My beautiful girl… be free… you just need to let go… let go._ Being free does sound nice even if I don’t know what it means. I feel more warmness wrap around me. _You have fought long and hard… you know that… don’t you think you deserve to be happy and free…_ Yes I do… I deserve happiness… I deserve it. _That’s right… just relax and let the darkness take over…_ mmm, that does sound nice, it feels nice. Calming. My whole body feels warm from being wrapped in an unknown substance. I am about to let go completely when I hear a faint echo.

…What was that? _Shhh… don’t worry about anything else… just let go._ I look in front of me to try to see if it was something, but I don’t see anything. I must have imagined it. **...y… ...E… y…** There it is again, I turn my head to the side where I think, that’s where the sound is coming from. _Ignore that… it’s not important… focus on your freedom… letting go…_ I- I can’t. I have to find the source of the sound.

 **Mmy… hear… e…** It’s someone talking! Taking a step forward, I find that I can’t move. _Just. Let. Go._ I feel the warmth around me suddenly turn hot and it feels more constrictive. I grunt as I struggle to walk forward. “Let go… of me.” I try to move my arms but they are being held back.

 **…Can… o… hear… m…** A child? It’s a child’s voice! He sounds… familiar… I free one arm just for it to be wrapped again and pulled back. _Don’t go! Be free!_ I break the other arm free and a leg. “Let me go! Why are you doing this?! Who are you?!”

 **Emmy… Hear… me…** I’m hearing you! I’m going! Suddenly a small light forms from the source of the voice and I reach out. _You won’t go anywhere!_ I look back at what is holding me back and my eyes widen. A melted fused flesh creature that looks like it’s absorbing me in it’s skin. I scream. _Shhh, we can be the perfect family…_ Memories flood back to me… my parents… the apocalypse… MY KIDS! “Let go of me!” I yank my other hand away and I try to run to the voice. _YOU WILL NOT LEAVE US!_ I feel something wrap around my neck and it makes me fall to the floor. I turn back and I see the mutation is my parents. NO! LET ME GO! I WON’T BE LIKE YOU!

 **Emmy! Please wake up!** Clear as day, I hear Liam’s voice echo in my mind. I rip the fleshy limb off my neck and I run to the small light. Suddenly, it turns black again.

…

...“Wake up…” “Please… wake up Emmy…” I hear someone sobbing. I slowly force open my eyes. Ugh… I feel horrible…

“Mmm…” I try to speak as I slowly turn my head to the side.

“Emmy’s waking up!” This time a higher pitched voice yells out. I feel tugging on my arm.

“Emmy? Are you waking up?” Everything looks blurry so I can’t make out who is speaking to me. I try getting up but I don’t have the energy, which causes me to fall back down on the bed. ...wait… bed?

“Emmy!” I am tackled by two pairs of arms hugging me tight. My kids! I hug them back and I look in front of me. It looks like we are in a stone area, but some candles are helping provide light.

“W-where…” A loud click gets my attention. My head spins towards the sound and I see the end of a compact gun, pointed straight at my face.

“No!” One of the kids cries out. All within a few seconds, I grab the gun and point it away from me, which causes it to go off and I punch the person away from me and the kids. I get up and I stand defensively between the kids and the shooter. I see they get another gun from a strap they are wearing and I am about to attack when another gunshot rings from behind them. I look up and there is a small group of people huddled behind a middle aged woman, and she has her now steaming gun raised in the air.

“Damnit Niki! Didn’t I tell you, NOT to go attack her!” She brings her fun down while staring intensely at the woman on the floor. I bring the kids closer to me as I have no idea what’s happening. “Nikki” stands up and walks away while glaring at the woman that reprimanded her. With a sigh she puts her gun away and walks into the room I woke up in.

“Sorry about Nikki, we don’t get much folks ‘round here, and she’s uh, quite territorial.” She flashes a grin at me and hold out her hand.

“The names, Lilian, but feel free to call me Lily!” I stare at her hand then look up, hesitating, before shaking it. “Emmalyn…” She looks at the kids, which causes me to hold them tighter.

“Heya kiddos, why don’t y’all go with Ms. Maggie for some lunch!” I was about to decline but the kids ran to an elderly lady in the crowd that was closer to the door and hugged her. I stare at them wide eyed, and before I tell them to come back, Lilian clicks her tongue and stares at the crowd.

“Aw come on now. It’s quite rude to stare. Don’t any of y’all have work to do?” Just like that, the crowd starts to slowly disperse.

“Well now Ms. Emmalyn, you was hurt real bad when we found ya, but we brought you back here and patched you right back to normal.., well.. almost.” She stared at my shoulders which caused me to pull the blanket from the bed to cover them.

“Who are you?” I ask defensively. Lilian chuckles.

“A simple ‘thank you,’ would’ve been nice.” I don’t match her tone. I am very serious. She notices this and she holds her hand up in defeat.

“Heh, well if you must know, you are in our medical unit, in our base.” Medical unit? Base? She must’ve caught my confusion because she turned towards the door and waved a hand at me to follow her.

“Come on, I’ll show you around!” She takes a step forward before stopping.

“Oh! Your jacket is hanging on that wall right over there.” I look and sure enough my jacket is there hanging. However, I don’t move. Lilian chuckles and turns back towards me.

“No need to be hostile here! I’ll tell you everything you need to know!” Something is telling me to not trust her, however that same part is telling me to attack her… maybe it’s the virus? But I know I won’t get any answers by staying here, so for the time being, I grab my jacket and follow Lilian.


	7. Chapter 7

I look around at the place I woke up in. What I have deducted is that we are in a very old abandoned building… well, I guess not so much abandoned. But I know it’s old from the fact that it is being held together by stone or concrete, it’s eroded enough that there’s not much of a difference. Currently, Lilian is going on and on about how she found this place when the outbreak started with her two friends, Nikki (the one that attacked me), and the “doctor.” Apparently the “doc” was the one that healed me and “supposedly” paused the virus racketeering it’s way through my body. We passed by a glass panel and I nearly attacked as the virus had already progressed way more than it did last time. My limbs look stretched out, my hands are not even considered hands, my fingers have also elongated and sharpened… not the nails… the actual fingers. My legs are probably the ones scaring me the most; they are long and thin, and I don’t have feet anymore, just one fused sharpened… limb? Per leg? I don’t even know how to describe myself anymore! Lilian explained how they found me in my current state in the desert. Even though I am still processing how I look, we still moved on with the “tour.” She makes this place seem like a resort or something…

“And over here, is our greenroom! Full of herbs and other plants we need for medical purposes.” I look and I see a row of flowers labeled under “Carnations” and they look pretty. Maybe the kids would like this? I go to pick a flower but a loud panicky voice interrupts.

“Stop! D-don’t touch them… please…” I retract my hand and I look up at the voice. Behind a row of giant bushes someone struggles to get past them.

“Ug- Almost there! Give me… a moment… AH!” And he falls out of the bush… the hell? Just as fast as he fell he stood up and dusted himself off. Lilian chuckles amusingly and goes towards him. Once she is next to him, she slaps a hand on his shoulder causing me to lurch forward a bit. He adjusts his glasses before giving Lilian a playful annoyed look.

“This charming fellow is Doc! He’s the one that patched you up when you arrived!” She ruffles his messy brown hair, and chuckles.

“He also is the one that created that useful serum keeping you from turning completely.” The shorter person pushes her hand away and fixes his hair.

“So, you are the one that I got to use my serum on!” He fixes his coat and he stumbles to me.

“My name is Miles, or you can call me Doc! W-whatever is easier for you…” What little confidence he had seemed to vanish as soon as he got close to me. He looked up at me and adjusted his glasses again.

“Wow! I knew you were tall, from treating you, b-but I didn’t expect this tall!” A gleam in his eye seemed to catch my attention and he squeaked as soon as we made eye contact. Startled myself, I took a surprised step back. Lilian laughed.

“Oh, don’t worry Doc! I believe she is what people call, ‘a gentle giant.’” The Doc looked at me nervously before taking a sigh of relief.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to seeing your kind so… human…” My kind? The hell he means, my kind? Even in this messed up world I have encountered some people who want to rid people "like me," just because my skin isn't pale enough. I was about to get defensive, when he held his own hands out defensively.

“I-uh… didn’t mean it like that! I-I just… I mean…” He stopped talking as he looked down in shame. He took a deep breath before looking up at me, attempting to try to explain himself again, a bit loudly.

“Mutants! Zombies! However, you view them! I meant those creatures!” I feel a small smile form. He’s… quirky. Lilian completely belt out laughing as she placed an arm around him.

“One of my best friends since we was kids! Only difference is that he is THE smartest person I know! Tell her what you majored in before this world went batshit crazy!” He pushed up his glasses… again, before speaking.

“Oh, uh, just some simple classes in the e-environmentalist science and chemistry field, down at State U in Texas, it wasn’t anything fancy or smart…” He started fidgeting with the edges of his coat. State U? That rings a bell, but I don’t remember from where… It’ll probably come to me soon. Just then the thick glass door slammed open, causing me to wonder, how did that big of an impact not cause the door to break. I see the Nikki woman walk in looking livid.

“What the hell is that _thing_ doing outside the medical hub?!” …Thing? I noticed that her fingers keep twitching towards her gun, causing the virus instincts to become alert. I get into an attack position before Lilian starts speaking.

“Woah, woah, woah! How about we all just take a deep breath, huh? Don’t that sound relaxing?” Nikki is still looking at me in disgust. Same feeling to you too old lady! I growl in agitation. Doc rushes forward to the middle and holds his hands out on each side.

“H-hey! Why d-don’t y’all calm down, b-before destroying the plants?” Lilian joins Doc.

“Yeah guys, we don’t want to destroy the medicine that’s curing your pain…” She looks at Nikki in a pointed manner.

“…or holding off your virus.” She directed a pointed look at me. I scoff and I relax, she isn’t worth it. Nikki however doesn’t seem to get the message and she still looks at me ready to attack at any given moment.

“Annika… calm down… she isn’t hurting anybody.” I fold my arms while giving Nikki a questioning look. Your move bitch. A few more seconds go by and Nikki storms out of the room. Lilian and Doc sigh in relief at the same time. I nonchalantly point towards the door.

“She always like this?” Doc looks at Lilian and then at me with a sad expression.

“S-she wasn’t always like this…” Doc goes back to the area behind the bushes and disappears into the green abyss, leaving Lilian and me behind. Lilian shrugs and motions for me to follow.

“Come on. There is one more thing I need to show you.” We both quietly exit the greenhouse as neither of us knows what to say next.

After a few minutes of awkward walking, we reach a large wooden door. Lilian pushes it open and the sunlight blinds me for a moment. I blink the light away as I look around, hundreds of people huddled in different areas of the courtyard, mingling to themselves, a few children laughing and chasing each other, and elderly people sitting and laughing… wow… not even the sanctuary was this lively.

“Emmy!” I hear two voices shout for me, and it doesn’t take me long to see two kids run to me and tackling me in a hug. The once lively courtyard slowly turned somber. Laughter stopped, conversations paused, and all eyes facing my direction. I pull my sweater up higher to try to cover myself. Whispering ensues right after, some people look scared, others look disgusted, while most tried to avoid eye contact with me. Not that I blamed any of them. Few more moments of awkward tension fills the room, until Lilian claps her hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright y’all! That’s enough gawking! Time for a formal introduction!” She waved a hand in my direction.

“This here is Emmalyn and she will be staying here with her two kiddos Mia and Liam! If any of y’all have questions, comments, complaints, speak up now!” Wait! I never agreed on staying here! I look around and I see many people are looking at me in anger and disgust. Then one person shouts, surprise surprise… its Nikki.

“So, let me get this straight Lily…” I look at where she is, and she is sitting on a wooden beam near the end of the room. She jumps up off her seat and she makes her way to us.

“You want US, the people of Uni, to live with a creature that can, not only kill us, but also infect us, becoming the very thing that separated us from our loved ones?” A few people murmur in agreement.

“Why are we risking our sanctuary, YOU created for us, the survivors, for a creature that can take all the healing, we’ve built here, in an instant.” More people murmured in agreement.

“Nikki, that’s enough.” Lilian said in a warning tone.

“No, no, I won’t keep quiet, what does she even have to offer to help, huh? She can’t even do anything to help us!” I growl which seems to make people shut up.

“See! She is already threatening us to keep quiet! She is gonna turn us a- “A loud slap echoes throughout the room, as well as some gasps of surprise. I stare wide eyed as Lilian backhanded Nikki’s cheek causing Nikki head to spin a perfect 90 degrees. I stare at Lilian and this might be the only time, but the look on her face, chilled me to the core; even my kids were burying their faces in my legs. Nikki looks up and I see that she is bleeding from her mouth.

“When I said ‘complaining’ I didn’t mean to set up a coup d'état against me.” Nikki spits blood on the floor before staring face to face with Lilian.

“Well maybe it’s time for someone new to take charge.” Loud gasps erupted in the room.

“The people voted me for a reason Annika, leading a colony isn’t just commanding, it’s about taking struggles that other people have and partaking some of it to provide a bit of relief and comfort for them. That’s what I do, I help people that need me, that need all of us, and you want to turn them away because they have unique problems? Tell me… what kind of leader does that?” Nikki whispers something to Lilian before storming off. Lilian then looks around.

“Anyone else got anything to say… respectfully?” No one says anything.

“Now, since that is settled, please welcome Emmalyn, Liam, and Mia!”


End file.
